


We're in This Together Now

by thejokeristhethief



Series: So This Is Home [3]
Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Alternate Universe - Domestic, Characters Watching Disney Movies, Comfort, Domestic Fluff, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Multi, Sick Character, Sleepy Cuddles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-23
Updated: 2015-05-23
Packaged: 2018-03-31 22:10:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3994759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thejokeristhethief/pseuds/thejokeristhethief
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Theta gets sick at the worst possible moment, North nervously cashes in a favor with his boyfriend of four months, Wash.</p>
            </blockquote>





	We're in This Together Now

North frowns at the time displayed on the microwave. 7:45. The cereal bowl is still sitting unused on the table and Theta has yet to emerge from his bedroom, despite North waking him up for the second time 15 minutes ago. Theta rarely goes back to sleep after being woken up on a school day, and he’s never done it twice. North’s kid believes that missing breakfast is practically criminal, especially after York and his sugary cereal moved in. Not that North buys the crap for him; York’s still trying to curry favour with Theta, put out by the fact that their second lover gained approval almost immediately. Still, feeding his kid Honeycombs isn’t going to counter the fact that Wash can skateboard and lets Theta play with his cats, as he’s explained to York before.

The knock he places on the 9 year old’s door is answered in a somewhat weak voice. “I’m awake, I swear. I’ll be out soon.”

“We have to leave in 15 minutes kiddo. Hurry up or you’ll miss breakfast.” North calls through the door.

“I’m not hungry…” Theta’s reply is groaned. “My tummy kind of hurts.”

“You aren’t sick, are you?” The concern is audible in North’s voice. A sick kid is the last thing he needs right now; he has a huge presentation for work today.

“I don’t think I am. Just a little tummy ache.” Shuffling can be heard on the other side of the door before it flies open, revealing North’s fully dressed son. His blond hair is rumpled, jeans are ripped and the purple hoodie he’s wearing is baggy. North frowns at him, taking in his sloppy appearance and flushed cheeks. He opens his mouth to scold him when the clock chimes, alerting them that it is now 8:00. York must have messed with the microwave clock again.

“Oh no. We’re running a little late. Grab your bag and put your shoes on bud.” Theta stumbles back into his room, only increasing his father’s worry. “Are you sure you’re not sick?”

“Maybe a little. But I can still go to school right?” Theta stares at him anxiously. “We’re playing dodgeball in gym today and Mrs. Peterson is letting us watch a movie for Social Studies.”

North hesitates. Normally they’d stay home if Theta was sick. He’d hate to be responsible for another kid falling ill. But Theta doesn’t look too sick and this presentation for work is something he can’t afford to miss. If his son stays home, he’ll have to call South to babysit. With a sigh he acquiesces. “If you feel you are well enough to go to school then I trust you. But if you feel any worse I want you to get the office to call me immediately, OK? And remember, Aunty South is picking you up after school today.”

“Yup, I remember.” Theta pushes passed him, heading to the door to pull on his shoes and coat. North follows, collecting his keys and portfolio from the small table by the door. Ushering Theta out the door, he pulls the locked door closed behind him. Theta is already in the car with his seat belt buckled by the time North catches up to him.

Theta is abnormally quiet as they drive to school, answering North’s questions as briefly as possible. Five minutes into the 20 minute drive, North runs out of things to ask and reaches for the radio instead. Leaving a few minutes later than usual means that they get caught at every single red light so by the time the car pulls up in front of Theta’s school, the 20 minute drive has turned into 25 minutes, giving Theta three minutes to get to class. To make matters worse, North has to nudge him awake.

“Hey Theta, come on. Wake up son. You have two minutes to get to class.” Theta wakes with a start, face flushed and wrinkled from pressing against the fabric of his hoodie and the window. He gasps at the time before hopping out of the car and stumbling into a sprint towards the school, not even sparing a second to reply to North’s farewell. North sighs, pulling out of the drop-off zone in front of the school and joining the stream of traffic headed downtown.

Despite the late start this morning, North still manages to arrive to work on time. Theta’s school is only 20 minutes away from North’s office even in traffic, so with the 8:35 start time and their usual drop off time of 8:25, he’s always early for work. Even on a rough morning like today’s. By the time 9 am rolls around, North has settled into work by checking over his presentation one final time. His nerves are alight with equal parts excitement and nervousness; this will be the first time he’s ever presented his own designs for a building before.

North’s been with this firm since his first year as an intern, and after officially receiving his Architect’s License three months ago, they offered him a full-time position. His first project, the one he’s currently fretting over, is to design a new library for the local university. The university his boyfriend just happens to be enrolled in. North is quite proud of what he’s created. The blueprints match the beautiful Victorian decor of the university, complete with gables, high ceilings and palladian windows. The inside is designed to be more modern of course, while still portraying the elegance the outside has.

Double checking his blueprints, printing out information sheets for those in attendance, and tweaking his powerpoint a little eats up a full hour, and by the time the final sheet has been printed off and stapled, North’s reminder goes off. North packs up everything he’ll need, heading out an hour early just to make sure that he doesn’t get stuck in traffic. It has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that if he arrives early he might be able to catch Wash after his exam, and before North’s meeting, for coffee. North hasn’t seen his young lover in over a week, and he’d be lying if he didn’t admit he missed the freckled man terribly.

Just a he arrives on campus, North’s phone chimes with a text from Wash. Pulling into the 2 hour guest parking, North feeds the metre before opening Wash’s text, cringing at the stupid text speak. ‘Dun early! wAr U @?’

‘I just arrived. Meet you at the Starbucks?’ North fires off a quick reply, collecting his documents from the car and heading inside.

Another text pops up with Wash’s reply, making North roll his eyes. ‘Omw. Cnt w8 2 C U.'

When North reaches the Starbucks, Wash is already in line. Glancing around quickly,he steals a kiss before scolding the shorter man lightly. "Would it kill you to use English? I can barely decipher your texts."

"Be careful North, your age is showing." Wash teases after placing their order with the barista.

North pulls out his wallet, knocking away Wash's hand when he tries to pay. He schools his face into an unimpressed look as he retorts. Unfortunately, his voice comes out slightly more seductive than he plans. "You've never complained about my experience before."

"You make a fair point." The reply is accompanied by a wink and a cheeky grin. Wash leads them over to a secluded corner table. "What are you doing tonight? With York out of town you must be feeling a little lonely."

"Yeah, the house is a little quieter without him around. He should be back tomorrow, though." North plays with the sleeve on his coffee. York has been gone for four days now, and while the break was nice, the silence and the empty bed is starting to make him jittery. "I'm lucky I had Theta this week. I don't know what I would have done with an empty house for 5 days."

"Oh right. I forgot T was with you this week. How did that go?" Wash looks guilty at his admission. In the last three months, he's never missed a chance to hang out with Theta when North had him.

"It's actually going pretty amazing. He doesn't miss his mom as much as I thought he would. It was hard in the beginning though; she broke her promise on day one by not calling him. In fact, over the entire week, she's only called him once and that lasted for two minutes." North sighs angrily as he remembers the phone call they received on Tuesday. His son was so excited to talk to him mom. His disappointment afterwards was heartbreaking. "I think her new boyfriend is an abusive asshole too. Theta seems pretty afraid of him. It might be the right time to fight for full custody again."

"You mean you want him to live with you full time?" An excited look crosses Wash's face. "That would be so awesome! Then I could actually teach him how to skateboard instead of just pushing him around or doing tricks for him."

The enthusiasm pouring off of Wash makes North smile softly. Every time they talk about Theta, North feels himself fall deeper in love with the 20 year old. The thought alone is slightly terrifying though, and North's a little worried about what will happen to Theta if Wash changes his mind. After all, what 20 year old student actually knows what they want? Hell... York is 25 and sometimes North is pretty sure he's going to change his mind.

"Hey North? Are you OK?" Wash is leaning across the table with a hand on North's wrist. "If you're worried about your pitch thing, I wouldn't be. You're so prepared and you've worked so hard on it. I'm sure you'll do amazing."

"Oh no. It's not that. I'm just thinking about Theta and how I'm going to handle it when he has to go back." North offers smoothly. It isn't entirely a lie; he is worried about Theta, after all. Wash opens his mouth to answer, only to be cut off by North’s phone. North frowns at the number. Theta's school is calling. "Shit. I have to take this."

"Yeah OK, no worries." Wash leans back, releasing North and taking a sip of his coffee. "Take your time."

The conversation North has with the secretary of Theta's school is brief. However, by the time he hangs up North is frustrated beyond belief. Ignoring the curious look Wash is sending him, North scrolls through his contacts hitting the call button beside South's picture. The call goes straight to voicemail. North slams the phone down in frustration, causing Wash to jump. "Buggering fuck. Of all the days for her to have her god damn phone off."

"Hey... calm down." Wash rubs a hand down his arm soothingly. The concern emanating from his voice forces North to take a deep breath. "Tell me what's wrong so I can figure out how to help you."

"That was Theta's school. Apparently he vomited in gym class. Twice. I knew that I shouldn't have let him go to school today." It is apparent that Wash can tell that North's composure is starting to crack, as his hand rubs harder, squeezing his wrist gently on every pass. It doesn't do anything to help, so North pulls away from the touch, ignoring the flash of hurt that briefly crosses Wash's face. "And now South's phone is off so I'm going to have to cancel my meeting to get my poor sick child. And I'm an awful father because I'm angry about this."

"Hey now. You are not an awful father." Wash frowns at him, voice firm. "You have an important work thing today and the stress is affecting your reaction to this situation. But there is a simple solution, OK? I don't have anymore exams today or tomorrow. So I can go pick up T and stay with him today. You focus on your presentation and the stuff that follows. You can call us in between things to check up on him. Tomorrow is Saturday, which means no work and plenty of time for you to fuss over Theta if he's still sick."

North stares at Wash in shock. He usually has to bribe South in order to get her to babysit. And having York watch Theta is always a disaster that he pays for later. Having someone willingly offer to look after his sick kid is kind of a new experience. He struggles with words for a moment, so he leans across the table to demonstrate his thanks with a kiss before replying. "Thanks Wash. You don't know how much this means to me. The spare key is attached to the mailbox in one of those magnetic key boxes. There should be some Campbell's chicken soup in the cupboard beside the sink. I'll try to get home early, but this is supposed to take until around 4."

"It's OK, I'm happy to do it. Don't worry about rushing. I'll take good care of the little man." Wash downs the rest of his coffee before standing up to gather his textbooks and notes. "You should probably phone the school and let them know I'm coming to get him."

North nods as he pushes himself to his feet as well. He presses another soft kiss to Wash's lips. "I'll do that as soon as you leave. Thank you so much, love. I owe you."

"It's not that big of a deal." Wash shrugs. "Really, all I was going to do today was study and watch bad sci-fi movies. Instead I get to hang out with my favorite kid and watch Disney movies."

"He'll probably fall asleep on you." North smiles at the thought. "Anyway, you should go now. I'll call the school and let them know you're on your way."

* * *

The drive to Theta's school passes by quickly. Wash is pretty sure he speeds the entire way, but hey. He's got a sick 9 year old to rescue. Leaving his truck to idle in the loading zone, Wash takes the stairs to the entrance two at a time, rushing into the school. He approaches the reception area quickly, giving the secretary a distracted smile. "I'm here to pick up a sick kid, Theodore Alexander-Dakota. His dad said he'd call to let you know?"

"And you are?" The secretary asks.

"Oh, sorry! I'm David Washington." Wash blushes faintly, handing her his ID. She scrutinizes it carefully before handing it back.

"Theta is in the nurse's room. Could you please fill out the sign out sheet while I go retrieve him?" The lady pushes a clipboard and pen at him before retreating into the office. Wash quickly fills out the paperwork, returning the pen and clipboard to the counter when he's done. He only has to wait for a few minutes before Theta stumbles out, the school nurse following him. Wash reaches out to catch him when he trips.

"Wash?" Theta gazes up at him bleary-eyed. The poor kid looks absolutely wrecked.

“Yeah, T. I’m here to take you home OK?” Wash swings the backpack Theta is dragging behind him onto his shoulder before moving to gather Theta into his arms. The boy takes a step back, looking utterly betrayed

“Where’s my dad?” His voice wobbles wretchedly. Wash places a hand on his shoulder, attempting to comfort him, but Theta shrugs it off as tears well up in his eyes. He lets out a miserable wail before the sobbing starts. “I... Want... My... Daaadd! I don’t feel good. I... Just... Want... My... Dad…”

Wash winces, panickedly turning to the nurse for help. “What should I do? Do you know what he has?”

“He has a decent fever and an upset stomach. I think it’s probably the flu.” The nurse replies, offering Wash a sympathetic look. She raises her voice over Theta’s cries. “Give him some tylenol, lots of water and maybe some gingerale to settle his stomach. Also, lots of sleep. If his fever gets any worse take him to the ER.”

“Thanks.” Wash turns away from her, taking a quick glance at the clock before focusing on his boyfriend’s wailing son. North’s meeting hasn’t started yet. Maybe he has a minute to talk to Theta. But first Wash has to calm him down. “Theta you have to calm down OK? I know that being stuck with me when all you want is your dad sucks. But it’s better than being at school right? We’re going to stop at the grocery store to get you some gingerale before we go home. Maybe we can pick up a new movie as well? And once we get back to your house we can make a blanket fort and watch movies all day, OK? Your dad promised to call a bunch and check up on you but he’s got a really important meeting today, remember?”  
Theta calms down as he listens to Wash talk, and by the time Wash asks that final question he has stopped crying. When Wash reaches over for him again, the 9 year old allows himself to be scooped up. He wraps his arms and legs around Wash, burying his face into the man’s shoulder. His already quiet voice comes out muffled and Wash has to strain his ears to hear the question. “Can we get Big Hero 6? I don’t have that one yet.”

“Of course we can.” Wash runs a hand soothingly over his back briefly, before shoving through the school doors. Pulling open the passenger side door of his truck, Wash gently deposits Theta on the seat. “Do your seat belt up, OK? And then you can phone your dad. He still has 10 minutes before his presentation so you should be OK.”

Theta gives him a weak grin, face flushed and shiny where the tear tracks are still wet. Wash uses the sleeve of his sweater to gently wipe the poor kids face off as he does up his seat belt. “Thanks Wash. Can I have your phone please?”

Wash unlocks his phone, tapping on North’s name to call him. Once he’s sure that it’s ringing, he hands the phone to Theta before closing the door softly. By the time he circles the truck and climbs into the driver’s seat, the boy is having a quiet conversation with his dad. It doesn’t last long before Theta offers his dad a farewell. “It’s OK dad. Wash is going to get me something to help my tummy and Big Hero 6. He said we could watch movies and maybe make a blanket fort. But I think I want to sleep a little… OK yeah, you can talk to Wash now… Kay, love you too. See you after work.”

Wash accepts the offered phone. “Hey North. What’s up?”

“How does he look?” North’s anxious voice comes through the phone. “What did the nurse say? His voice sounds kind of scratchy.”

“Calm down hun.” Wash rolls his eyes at Theta, garnering a soft giggle. “He looks a little peaky and feverish, but the nurse said she thinks it’s just the flu. We’ll stop and pick up some gingerale and maybe some animal crackers, as well as a new movie to watch. Theta is going to be fine, Right T?”

Theta chirps his agreement, sounding a little more enthusiastic than before. North sighs into the phone. “Just make sure he gets some sleep. And feed him some of that chicken soup I told you about, OK?”  
“OK, OK. Stop worrying about us and focus on your presentation. We love you, now knock them dead!” Wash cheers into the phone.

North chuckles. “Will do. Love you too. See you around 4ish. Thanks again for doing this Wash.”

“Yeah, yeah. Bye North. Good luck!” Wash hits the end call button before North can reply and drag the conversation into another round. Turning to Theta, Wash makes a face. “You’re dad is such a worrywart. Let’s go get some snacks and a movie.”  
“Yeah!” Theta cheers, perking up a little. His voice takes on an embarrassed note. “Hey Wash? Can you not tell anybody that I cried? It’s kind of embarrassing.”

“I promise that anything embarrassing you do when you’re sick will not be shared with anyone. You aren’t really yourself so it wouldn’t be fair to tease you now would it?” Wash agrees readily as they accelerate onto the main street. Theta rests his head against the window, falling asleep a few minutes into the drive. Even after Wash pulls into the parking lot of the supermarket a few blocks from North’s house, Theta remains conked out against the door. Wash rolls down the back windows a little before locking doors and letting the kid sleep while he collects the few items they need. He’s only going to be a few minutes anyway.

Wash rushes into the store, collecting a basket on his way through the doors. He b-lines it straight to the pharmacy section, picking up some children’s tylenol first. He’s not sure if North has any and he’s not going to take that chance. Once the medicine is out of the way, Wash heads over to the drink aisle to pick up a 2 litre bottle of gingerale and some blue Kool-aid. From there he makes his way quickly through the food aisle, picking up animal crackers, jello, and applesauce. At the checkout he makes sure to grab Big Hero 6. He’d hate to disappoint the sick kid. By the time he’s done with the checkout, he’s only been in the store for 10 minutes. He’s pretty proud of that, and even more happy when he sees that Theta is still asleep.

Climbing into the truck as quietly as he can, Wash drives the final three blocks slowly. He parks on the street, taking the groceries and Theta’s bag as he lets himself into the house. He leaves the door wide open, returning to the truck to collect Theta. Opening the passenger door carefully, he slips his arms under the kid, tucking him close to his chest. The boy snuggles in, murmuring something incomprehensible and making Wash’s heart melt. Pressing the lock button, Wash gently hip checks the door closed before carrying Theta into the house. Laying him down on the couch, Wash spreads a blanket over the sleeping kid before putting away the food and preparing the Kool-aid in the jug he found in the corner cupboard. He’s slightly surprised at how comfortable he feels here.

Wash examines the directions on the tylenol bottle before deciding that it can wait until Theta wakes up on his own. In the meanwhile, he figures that he might as well get started on an epic blanket fort. Raiding the bedrooms for pillows and blankets is fruitful, and by the time he’s collected all of them, there is a huge pile in the living room. Wash tosses all the pillows and two of the blankets on the floor before he starts rearranging furniture. By the time Theta wakes up 20 minutes later, Wash has already built half of the enormous fort, encompassing the TV, love seat, and one of the two arm chairs in the room. He’s pulled the cushions off the chairs and added them to the pile of pillows on the floor.

“Cool. Can we put the couch cushions on the floor too?” Theta ask quietly. “Also, is there any medicine? I feel hot and my head hurts.”

“Oh, right! Of course we can use the couch cushions. But before we do that let’s get you some tylenol.” Theta follows Wash over to the kitchen, dutifully chewing the tablets he’s handed before washing them down with a sip of the gingerale that follows. “Do you want some lunch kiddo? Your dad said there was soup somewhere.”

Theta’s tummy growls in response. “Yeah maybe. Can you make those awesome biscuits?”

“Yep!” Wash nods in agreement. “But that means you get to finish the fort, OK?”

Theta gives a single solemn nod. “I think I can do that.”

Wash throws together a batch of biscuits, accidentally spilling flour all over the kitchen floor. He rolls the dough into a log before cutting it into normal sized biscuits, putting them in the oven and setting the timer for 20 minutes before opening up the can of soup into a pot and placing it on the stove to cook. That done, he goes to check on Theta. The kid has done a brilliant job finishing off the fort. He managed to attach a blanket to the back of the couch and the entire living room is now under the cover of a blanket tent. Wash peaks his head into the open door flap; Theta is sitting crosslegged on the cushion floor of the fort, toying with the DVD case. He looks up when he notices Wash watching him, offering a shy smile as he holds up the movie.

“Can we watch now?” The question is quiet. “At least until lunch is ready?”  
Wash grins at him. “Of course we can. We can even eat lunch in here on the coffee table.”

Theta cheers, crawling forward to put the DVD in. They both flop onto their stomachs on the cushy floor, Theta grinning excitedly when the movie starts. He stays pretty quiet for the most part, only pointing out the things he thinks Wash will miss. It’s not like watching movies with York and North, that’s for sure. There are no loud predictions or arguments over what just happened in the background, a detail that Wash wasn’t even aware he missed until he’s laying on the floor of North’s familiar living room without those things.

15 minutes into the movie Wash can smell something burning. Hitting pause, he bolts out the fort towards the kitchen, cursing. On the stove is a smoking pot, blackened on the bottom. Wash curses again. He forgot to turn the soup down to simmer and now the soup is burnt and the pot is destroyed. Grabbing the handle of the smouldering pot, Wash dumps it into the sink, running cold water into it. He reaches over to flip off the burner just as the timer goes off for the biscuits. He sighs with relief when he pulls them out and they are perfectly done.

Theta pads into the kitchen, wrinkling his nose. “What’s that smell?”

“I burnt the soup.” Wash admits sheepishly. “So we’re just going to have biscuits, applesauce and Kool-aid OK?”

Theta laughs at him before shrugging. “Sounds OK to me. I like applesauce and Kool-aid.”

Wash piles the biscuits onto a plate before handing them to Theta. “Can you take those to the coffee table while I grab the rest of the stuff?”

Theta scampers back to the living room, clutching the biscuits carefully. Wash pours out two cups of Kool-aid before dishing out a couple bowls of applesauce, leaving the spoons in the bowls, and tucking the box of animal crackers under his arm. He carefully makes his way back into the blanket structure, setting his cargo down on the table. Theta is already munching on a biscuit and he presses play when Wash settles down beside him. When there is only 20 minutes left in the movie, Theta pauses it again to use the bathroom. As he’s exiting the blankets, he requests another round of Kool-aid. Wash grins at him, taking advantage of the pause to collect the empty dishes and move them to the sink. Topping up the cups with Kool-aid, Wash returns to the living room floor. A few minutes later, Theta collapses beside him with a tiny smile.

Wash frowns, reaching for his forehead; the kid’s cheeks were looking a little flushed. Theta shakes him off. “I’m alright. Just a little warm, that’s all.”

“OK kiddo. But if you feel any worse you need to let me know, OK? The tylenol shouldn’t be wearing off yet.” Wash decides to leave it at that. North’s kid is frustratingly independent but he is also pretty good at asking for help when he needs it. Theta presses play and they finish the movie in silence. Wash allows Theta to choose the next movie as well, and after careful deliberation, he slides in a DVD.

Wash raises an eyebrow when the menu pops up. “Mulan, hey?”

“Yeah! Mushu is awesome and the rest of the movie is pretty funny.” Theta defends his choice with a shrug.

“No judgement here T. I love this movie.” Wash admits, imitating Theta’s shrug. Theta replies with a nod before pressing play. Most of the movie goes by without a hitch, Theta teasing Wash when he starts singing along to the songs at first. A couple of songs in, however, the kid joins in and together they belt out the lyrics. The kids enthusiasm dies down a bit as his energy flags.

In retrospect, Wash should have expected something to happen sooner. The tylenol is starting to wear off and Theta continues to feel more and more wretched. Just as the avalanche happens in the movie, disaster strikes in the living room. Theta reaches for his cup, missing and knocking it over on the coffee table. The blue Kool-aid drips off the table onto the rug below. Wash is immediately on his feet, cursing softly as he runs for some paper towel. When he gets back, Theta is staring at the mess miserably, tears glinting his eyes. Wash throws some paper towel on the table to soak up the mess before dabbing carefully at the rug. Luckily the rug is dark enough that the drink won’t actually stain it. Wash finishes wiping down the coffee table, getting up to throw the paper towel in the garbage. Crawling back into the tent, he stares in confusion as Theta bursts into tears.

“I’m sorry Wash. Please don’t be mad at me! I didn’t mean to spill.” He flinches when Wash approaches him, making himself small. “I swear I didn’t do it by purpose. Please don’t hit me.”

Wash can’t stop the gasp from leaving his lips. His voice shakes with shock. “Oh Theta, no. Nobody is going to hit you for an accident kiddo. I wouldn’t even hit you if it was intentional, I promise. Come here kiddo, it’s OK.”

Theta turns his tearful face towards Wash, studying his open arms for a moment before launching himself into Wash’s arms. Wash adjusts them, leaning himself against the couch before pulling Theta into his lap and cuddling him to his chest. He sits there, rocking them back and forth while softly rubbing the kids back until his sobbing stops. They sit there cuddled together well passed the end of the movie, both of them eventually dropping off to sleep.

* * *

North rushes through the door at 4:25 pm, entering the silent house. Wash didn’t answer when he tried calling a half hour earlier and he never called back. The smell of biscuits and burnt food assaults his nose, so he heads for the kitchen. There is flour spread across the counter and sprinkled over the floor. In the sink is the remnants of a small pot, burnt black and beyond saving. Backtracking, he heads to the living room, discovering the biggest blanket fort he’s seen in ages stretched out across his furniture, encompassing the entire living room, including the TV. North peeks his head into the nearest opening. What he sees next makes his heart swell. Theta’s head is resting against Wash’s chest and one of his hands is clenched around a fistful of Wash’s shirt. His boyfriend’s is tipped back to rest against the surface of the couch, while his arms are wrapped securely around the 9 year old in his lap. North reaches for his phone, snapping a picture to set as his new background, before he silently backs out of the tent and living room. Sighing, he sets to work cleaning the kitchen. After everything Wash has done today, he’s not going to make the man clean up. Especially not when North feels like it would be impossible to love him more than he does in this moment.


End file.
